Magazine-firearm.



PATENTED APR. 24, 1906.

V. M. SPRANGEL. MAGAZINE FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET IV PATENTED APR. 24, 1906.

, V. M. SPRANGEL.

MAGAZINE FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1905- v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\ ivllrlllil UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

VOLNEY M. SPRANGEL, OF WAGONER,

INDIAN TERRITORY, ASSIGNOR TERRITORY.

MAGAZINE-FIREARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 24, 1906.

Application filed April 28, 1905. Serial No. 257,924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VoLN Y M. SPRANGEL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Wagoner, in the Western District of Indian Territory, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Magazine-Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of repeating firearms in which the magazine is arranged below and parallel with the barrel and both the barrel and the magazine open into a receiver containing the breech-piece and cartridge-carrier or device which conveys cartridges from the magazine to the barrel. In one type of such firearms the breech-piece is moved back and forth in the receiver by a sliding handle in front of the receiver and connected with the breech-piece by a bar known as an action-slide, and the carrier is pivoted at the rear end of the receiver and swings alternately to a position in rear of the barrel and then in rear of the magazine as the breech-piece moves backward and forward, a cartridge being taken from the magazine while the carrier is in its lowermost position and then delivered to the barrel when the carrier is raised and the breech-piece is moved forward. Such an arm as heretofore constructed is adapted to fire cartridges of only one length-that is to say, it is not adapted to fire cartridges of mixed lengths-and my invention is primarily intended to adapt such an arm to fire either long or short cartridges of the same caliber or cartridges of mixed lengths.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a portion of a firearm of the Winchester 1890 model (with the breech-piece closed) detached from the stock and with a portion of one side of the receiver removed or broken away to illustrate some of the mechanism therein. 2 is a simi Fi lar view with the magazine and slide-handle in vertical section-with the breech-piece open or thrown back and the carrier raised. Fig. 3 is a view of the same, partly in top plan and partly in longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing particularly the manner in which cartridges are delivered from the magazine to the carrier and the way the carrier delivers to the barrel.

Fig. 5 shows, on an enlarged scale, a transverse sectlon on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 1s a view, on an enlarged scale in side elevation, of my improved auxiliary cartridge-stop. Fig.7 shows a side elevation of the spring employed in the auxiliary stop.

The breech-piece A is mounted in the receiver B and is adapted to slide back and forth therein in the usual wa The carrier O is hinged on the assembling-screw D, which also forms the ivot of the hammer E. The spring-pressed ever for elevating the carrier is indicated at F, are designated by G and II, respectively.

The magazine is filled from its front end and contains a plug I, pressed rearward by spring J, as usual, and the slide-handle K is connected with the breechiece by the action-slide L, having a lateral y-projecting lug l, engaging the cam-slot a in the lower front portion of the breech-piece. The slide L is guided in a groove m in one side of the front wall of the receiver and is held therein while free to slide by a slide-cover M, which consists of a plate having beveled edges and sliding longitudinally in its seat, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 5. It is held securely in place by a screw m.

As thus far described the arm is of wellknown construction, being of the type known as the Winchester 1890 model.

In operation when the arm is in the position shown in Fig. 1'that is, with the breechpiece closedthe carrier is depressed and has received a cartridge from the magazine, which fills the cartridge-chamber in the carrier and only cartridges of a given length can be used in the arm. When the slide-handle is moved rearward, the breech-piece is forced backward and the carrier is elevated to the position shown in Fig. 2, and then as the breechpiece is moved forward the cartridge held by the carrier is forced into the barrel and the arm is in firing condition. It will be observed that the carrier is formed with a downwardly-projecting portion 0, which acts as a stop for the cartridges in the magazine while the carrier is elevated and until the empty chamber of the carrier is again in position to receive another cartridge from the magazine. This is common in arms of this class.

I will now describe my improvements.

In the front wall of the receiver just in front of the rear end of the magazine I place a device which I call an auxiliary cartridgestop and the function of which is to engage the rim of the rearmost cartridge in the magawhile the barrel and carrier- Figs. 1 and 3,

zine when the arm is in firing position-t. 6., when the carrier is depressedto release this cartridge when the carrier rises and permit it to strike the stop 0, and then to catch the next cartridge when the carrier descends and after the cartridge just released has entered the carrier. Preferably this auxiliary stop is of the form shown in Fig. 6, comprising a head n with a beveled end and a shank n, tapered at its outer end. A recess P and a hole 29 are formed in the front wall of the receiver be hind the action-slide to receive the stop. The shank 72 projects through the hole p into the magazine, while the head n lies in the recess P, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. Normally the beveled end of the head n lies against the action-slide L. The spring Q is interposed between the head 11, and the inner end of the re cess P and tends to withdraw the stop from the magazine. The auxiliary stop may be very easily applied to any arm either at the factory or after it has gone into use, it being necessary only to withdraw the slide-cover and remove the actionslide. Then the recess P and hole 19 may be formed and the stop and spring inserted. Then the action-slide and its cover maybe replaced and the auxiliary stop will then be ready for use. The action-slide is, however, formed with a recess 0, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. This recess maybe very easily formed on the action-slide when it is removed, and it is so located that when the slidehandle is moved inward and has thrown the breech-piece open and elevated the carrier the stop N will be moved into the recess and withdraw the stop from the magazine, thus allowing the rearmost cartridge in the magazine to pass by the stop and strike the main stop 0, projecting downwardly from the carrier.

WVhen the arm is in the position shown in which is the firing position except that the hammer is not cocked, the recess 0 is removed from the stop N and the latter is held by the slide in such manner as to cause it to engage the rim of the rearmost cartr'dge in the magazine; but when the actionslide is moved to the limit of its inward or rearward movement the head of the auxiliary stop enters the recess 0, and then the stop withdraws from the magazine and permits the rearmost cartridge to move backward. At this time the stop 0 is in line with the magazine and the cartridge released by the auxiliary stop is arrested by the main stop 0, as shown in Fig. 2. As soon as the slide-handle commences to move forward the recessois withdrawn and the stop reenters the magazine, and as the slide-handle is moved farther forward the carrier descends and its empty chamber receives the cartridge just re leased by the auxiliary stop and the next fol lowing cartridge in the magazine is arrested by the auxiliary stop. In this way only one cartridge is allowed to enter the carrier at each operation, and it will be obvious that cartridges of any length or of mixed lengths may be employed without any danger whatever of choking the mechanism or interfering in any way with the proper actuation thereof.

Fig. 4 clearly shows how the auxiliary stop operates. The carrier 0 is shown in the position it assumes just after a cartridge has been delivered to the barrel and just before the breech-piece is completely closed. In order to permit the arm to be operated-that is to say, go through the usual movements when the magazine is not charged with cartridges the magazine-plug I is formed with reduced end i, so that when the plug is moved to its rearmost position the auxiliary stop will not interfere with the movement of the actionslide. The auxiliary stop may engage with the shoulder between the reduced portion '1; and the body of the plug but inasmuch as the plug remains at the rear end of the magazine without going into the carrier the auxiliary stop will reciprocate back and forth during the repeated movements of the action-slide 1n rear of the shoulder.

I claim as my invention.

1. In a repeating firearm, wherein the magazine is located below and parallel with the barrel and the breech-piece and carrier are located in a receiver in rear of the magazine, and operated by a slide-handle in front of the receiver, the combination with an action-slide for operating the. breech-piece and actuating the carrier to convey a cartridge from the magazine to the barrel, of a stop within the receiver for holding cartridges in the magazine while the carrier is elevated, and an auxiliary stop in the front wall of the receiver, actuated by the action-slide, which holds cartridges in the magazine while the carrier is depressed and filledbut allows a single cartridge to pass it when the carrier rises.

2. The combination of the receiver, the barrel, and magazine opening into the front of the receiver, the breech-piece and carrier within the receiver, the action-slide connected with the breech-piece, a cartridge-stop on the carrier for holding cartridges in the magazine while the carrier is elevated and an auxiliary stop in the front wall of the receiver operated by the action-slide and which holds cartridges in the magazine while the carrier is depressed and the carrier is filled and also while the carrier is rising but which is actuated to release the rearmost cartridge in the magazine when the action-slide reaches the limit of its inward movement and is then moved by the slide into the path of the next following cartridge in the magazine.

3. The combination with a barrel, magazine, receiver and firing mechanism of a re peating firearm, of a cartridge-stop in the front wall of the receiver adapted to engage the rearmost cartridge 1n the magazine when the arm is in firing condition, and means for withdrawing the stop in the act of throwing back the breech-piece and elevating the carrier.

- 4. In a repeating firearm of the class described the combination with the receiver, breech-piece and carrier, of an action-slide detachably connected with the breech-piece, extending forwardly therefrom and having a recess near its front end on its inner side, a removable slide-cover for holding the action slide in place and which when removed allows the action-slide to be withdrawn from the receiver, and a spring-pressed cartridgestop located in the front wall of the receiver behind the action-slide and which extends into the magazine and engages the rearmost cartridge therein when the arm is in firing condition but which passes into the recess of the action-slide out of the path of the cartridges in the magazine when the carrier is lifted and the breech-piece thrown back.

5. In a repeating firearm of the class described, the combination with the magazine and the recessed action-slide, of a springpressed stop projecting into the rear portion of the magazine and adapted to enter the recess in the action-slide and a spring-pressed magazine-plug in the magazine having its rear end reduced so as to permit the stop to reciprocate into and out of the recess in the action-slide, when the plug is at the rear end of the magazine, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

VOLNEY M. SPRANGEL.

Witnesses:

O. E. MARTIN,

O. E. CASTLE. 

